Guarded
by Original Blue
Summary: SmellerShot. Whatever happened to Smellerbee and Longshot? Takes place a month after 'Toph's Story' in an Earth Kingdom forest. It's been almost a year since Jet died - have his Freedom Fighters recovered yet? HIATUS: CURRENTLY BEING REWRITTEN.
1. Jet

Chapter One: Jet

Smellerbee slid to her knees next to Jet, tears streaming down her face. She tried to muffle her sobs with limited results. Longshot kept watch above her, looking for any possible threats. Luckily, the place was deserted.

The girl brushed Jet's hair out of his eyes. "You're going to be fine, Jet," she whispered, reassuring herself as much as him. "Just fine. We'll go back to the camp. And obliterate any Fire Nation soldier that gets in our way!"

The teenager on the floor laughed weakly. Smellerbee almost smiled, except for the trickle of blood that ran over his cracked lip. "Bee, you were never one to kid yourself. I'm badly hurt – I want you to take the swords when you leave. You need to accept that if I–"

She put a thumb over his lips. "Jet, don't talk. You'll just make it worse. You'll be fine. Absolutely fine. Perfectly fine. Wonderful in fact." She repeated this to him, crooning it as a mother might a lullaby, sure that only by stating it would it come to pass. Finally, she fell silent, counting his heartbeats and feeling the dull rush of blood accompanying his pulse.

Every one of Jet's heartbeats boomed loud and clear to the other two Freedom Fighters. "Tha–thump. Tha–thump. Tha–thump. Tha–thump. Tha–thump. Tha–thump." It was all Smellerbee could do not to stand up and run, run as hard and fast as she could, never looking back. She knew that Jet and Longshot needed her there, not blindly scrambling through an enemy hideout.

"Tha–thump. Tha–thump. Tha–thump." The steady rhythm, though faint, gave the girl hope about Jet's condition. Maybe he would live. They would go back to the Freedom Fighters and give Jet some time to recover. He could teach her how to use the swords someday, like he'd always said he would. "Tha–thump. Tha–thump. Tha–thump. Tha–"

Smellerbee waited for the next beat to come. It never did. Her eyes lost their focus and she felt her head tilt sideways as her mind refused to accept this information.

Her mind traveled over her life with him. _When he found me alone in the forest. Teaching me how to hunt and cook for myself. Teaching me how to navigate by the stars and create mental maps of the area. _It seemed to her that she had always been learning from him. _I've never taught him anything useful, or contributed to his life in any special way. I'm just a student, always a little slower, a little weaker, a little less of a warrior than Jet is_.

_Was_, she thought as she realized once and for all, that Jet was truly dead.

Suddenly she couldn't cry anymore. Her eyes were red and weak, and she realized how long she'd been sitting there. Longshot was beside her, gripping her shoulder a little bit tighter than was strictly comfortable.

Striking a sideways glance, she saw her friend's face streaked with tears, his lip bloodied from biting it. She put an arm around him and his eyes met hers.

Longshot pulled her into a hug which she returned fiercely. She wiped her eyes and gave her friend a quick once–over. He seemed unhurt physically, though she was sure that the emotional wounds would be long in healing.

She stood up and tugged his arms. He tilted his head up and nodded once. They both understood what had to be done.

Carefully, they draped Jet across their shoulders and pulled him through the many tunnels of the Dai Li's headquarters under Lake Laogai.


	2. Friends

Chapter Two:

Smellerbee took a deep breath and jumped off the rocks.

"Cannonball!" she screamed as she fell towards the water. Below her, Longshot laughed and stepped back as water sprayed toward him. She stood up and shook out her hair like a dog.

The dark forest around them rang with her laughter. It was after sunset, nearly eight. Dinner had been over an hour ago, in the reddish light of sunset.

Longshot stood on a rocky outcrop, the same one Bee had jumped off of only moments ago. She shook a second time and started to climb the stone wall for another jump.

"Come on, Longshot, your turn now!" He grinned and shook his head. She stuck out her tongue in mock annoyance as she climbed up next to him.

"Aw, come on! You promised!"

He shrugged his shoulders. Her eyes blazed. "Jump, or I'll push you in!" He seemed to debate for a moment before shaking his head with another smile.

She took full advantage of that moment by giving him a shove off the edge. His eyes widened marginally as he flailed in mid air.

Nearby, he could hear Bee's amused giggle as she jumped after him. _I'm gonna kill her,_ he thought just before he hit the water.

The splashes made by his own tall form almost hid the chuckles coming from a nearby red–headed figure. Almost.

He tackled Bee and pinned her to the shore while she gasped for breath. She snorted and water spilled over her lips, running down into her already sopping hair. Longshot couldn't help but join in her laughter at the expression on her face.

When she could breathe again, she smiled at her friend. In the months after Jet's death, he had become closer to her than ever, if that was possible. He was the nearest thing to family she had ever had, and she intended to keep it that way.

He grinned too, silent as ever. In truth, he was happy that Bee had such a changing nature. If she had been any more stubborn, it would have taken much longer for her to recover. But her happy nature had expelled any feelings of depression, leaving behind only a child's joy.

Sometimes, though, Longshot would see a look in her eyes that reminded him exactly how much she had been through, and why she was so mature.

His thoughts flickered briefly. _Bee isn't the only one who's lost people to the Fire Nation – then why is she able to move on so quickly when I've been silent all these years?_

Longshot moved over so that Bee could get up and ran a hand through his drenched hair. She smiled and stood up, then offered a hand down to him. He clasped it and she hauled him up.

Bee stifled another giggle and settled for a smile. He looked so cute when he was uncomfortable and wet. She decided that he looked like an Armadillo–Cat in the rain, all paws and ears and soaked fur. Longshot picked up his towel, quickly drying off and going to change.

Bee shook her mane again and walked away from camp, her face still damp with water droplets, and picked up her clothes. Then she stalked off into the trees to get dressed. _What I would give for some real privacy, like in Ba Sing Se._

She froze momentarily, remembering everything that had happened in that godforsaken city:

_Jet's death, his funeral in the nearby forests, and the days afterward, trying to receive passage out of the city. Then the Fire Nation was suddenly in control of the city, with help from the Dai Li. As much as the two Freedom Fighters wanted to get revenge, they knew it wouldn't help them leave the city behind._

_After weeks of effort, Sozin's comet had blazed through the sky above the Impenetrable City and war had raged through the streets._

_Bee and Longshot had curled up next to each other in the corner of a basement, fear in their hearts. When the morning came, they woke to a free Ba Sing Se. Celebration was the order of day, but then they went to see the new Earth King and his council about passage out of the city._

_King Bumi and the Order of the White Lotus had readily agreed, and they were on the next boat out through the Serpent's Pass. The boat ride was uneventful, as were the several weeks of travel that followed it._

_Then, in the forest, they found the last revenge of the Fire Nation's army. The entire tree house network had been burned down, along with a small patch of forest. The Freedom Fighters were rebuilding, but it would take weeks before a proper system was set up._

_Many of the children had asked Bee and Longshot to stay, but neither of them could really bear living there without Jet._

_So they had continued traveling, wandering over the land, hearing tales of the Avatar and his friends, who had freed the world._

_Finally, Longshot had suggested that they find a village to stay in. Smellerbee knew she only had one option, and told him. She would go back to her village and see what had happened since the day her father had abandoned her._

_Together, they had camped through the forest, wary of the bandits that still roamed the trees. Only once had Longshot needed to use his bow, and it turned out to just be a Possom–Squirrel._

_On the journey, Bee had noticed something different about her friend. Only then did she realize that he was talking much more than usual. Although Bee could have assumed it was because he wanted to get his points across, she knew that it was because Longshot felt she needed someone to talk to, now that Jet was gone._

_Now their destination was only two days away by foot. Three if they were slow. It was nearly four months ago that they had left Ba Sing Se, and now their journey was nearly over. Once they got to Kumai, they would part ways, perhaps forever._

_The small village of Kumai was full of merchants, dancers and performers. It was famous in its own right, because it was there that the Yu Yan Tribe Archers had originated, before the Fire Nation took them all away._

_The tribe remained, as did the Ti Lo Tribe, Bee's own family. The Twin Tribes, always close, practically merged when the soldiers took the defense forces of the Yu Yan and left the civilians to fend for themselves._

Smellerbee rubbed a bloodshot eye. _What I would give for some sleep,_ she thought. Her experienced eyes scanned the forest. _Nothing's around here_. She sighed.

She trudged back into camp, fully dressed, and picked up the twin swords that used to belong to Jet. Every evening, one of them would keep watch until midnight, just in case some Hog–Monkeys were a little late to sleep.

Longshot sat on his sleeping bag, smoothing the feathers on his arrows, before placing them back in the quiver. He glanced up at her, seeing how exhausted she was.

Their eyes met and he raised an eyebrow.

She sighed, rubbing the back of her neck with one hand. "I'm just a little tired, alright?" He nodded, then got up.

The question was written all over her face: "What are you doing?" He put a hand on her shoulder. "Bee you need to sleep. I'll take the watch tonight." She shook her head, backing away.

"No way. You took it last night! I'll do it." He bit the inside of his cheek to keep from smiling. _Bee, you can be so stubborn sometimes, too stubborn for your own good._

"Bee, if you don't go to sleep now, I'll _put_ you to sleep. You know I can." Bee just rolled her eyes and climbed a tree that could be used as the lookout post. He shook his head and leapt up next to her.

"You usually aren't this annoying. Why can't you think of yourself for once?"

She frowned. "Is that a complement, or an insu–?"

Longshot waved a small, uncorked bottle under her nose, catching her with the other hand as she fell asleep. He cradled her against his side as he jumped down, before setting her down on her own pallet. Trying to move her into a comfortable position, he pulled her blankets around her, tucking her in as he had only five years ago.

Bee sighed and settled in her sleep. Within minutes, her quiet breathing settled into a much slower rhythm, her heart losing pace as it always did when she slept deeply.

Longshot watched until midnight, when he slipped down from the tree. Walking past her on the way to his pallet, he noticed her shaking. Was she sick? He leaned over to check her pulse, but she suddenly had his arm in a vice–like grip.

"Bee," he began, about to defend his actions when he noticed that her eyes were shut tightly, though tears leaked from them.

"Don't leave, Dad. Don't leave me here. Please," she gasped, crying in her sleep. "I'll be good, no don't–!" She flinched visibly, as if she'd been slapped. She let go of his wrist and curled into a tight ball, her sobs muffled by the pillow.

Longshot's face grew sad. He knew nothing of Bee's past except that Jet had found her at the age of eight, living on the outskirts of Kumai.

He drew back, watching her fall back into a deep sleep. He didn't wake her for another hour.


	3. Past

Chapter Three:

The next day they reached a crossroads, with one sign pointing towards Gaoling, the other towards Kumai. Without a word they turned towards Kumai.

The way was hot, especially on the shade–free road, and they had finished two of their water skins by midday. It wasn't long before they decided to walk next to the road, through the cooler forest.

An hour went by, with only the wildlife and their occasional conversation to break the calm. Talk came easily, and smiles graced both of their lips as they relaxed. None of their time in the city had made up for days spent fishing, or reading with other Freedom Fighters. Now was the time to remember the comfort of human contact.

Longshot heard it before Bee did; he stopped in his tracks, pulling her up behind a tree with him. She stilled instantly, knowing his danger signs. But why?

Bee was confused. _What's out there?_ As she listened harder, she heard the sound of distant laughter, and the creak of cart wheels trundling through the dust. Silently she cursed. How had she missed it?

While she berated herself and loosed the twin swords strapped to her back, Longshot nocked an arrow. Focusing on the edge of the road, he barely noticed the way Bee was still pressed up against him.

Then, as their 'prey' came into sight, he lowered his weapon.

A cart filled with supplies and wares made its way towards Kumai, with an Ostrich–Horse pulling it. Two boys sat on the cart, one dozing in the sun, one driving. The one holding the reins wore his chestnut hair cropped short, and his red tunic had the sleeves cut off.

Behind him, Longshot could feel Bee's heart beating very fast. The blood was pounding in her veins as she looked at their faces. On their faces she could see the markings of her village, the tattoos she hadn't laid eyes on for eight years.

They were the Ti Lo, and they were her family.

She gasped for breath, gripping Longshot's left arm. He turned to look at her. Her whole body shook as she took in the familiar inky images on their skin. No one else in the entire world had such a vivid display of color staining their arms, legs and faces.

Bee took a step towards the road, her eyes glazed over. Longshot, seeing the danger, pulled her back before she stepped out from their hiding spot. As the cart drew parallel with them, he whispered her name, shaking her. She didn't seem to hear him.

He spoke just as softly a second time. "Bee, wake up." Angrily, she pulled back a fist and let it snap forward, injuring the person who kept her from her family. Doing so, she came out of her reverie and noticed that the person she had just punched was Longshot.

"Oh geez, sorry Longshot..." She tried to help him, but he held up a hand. Carefully, using minimal pressure, he pressed the cartilage back into its proper place as Bee winced in front of him. She had broken his nose.

Neither of them noticed as the cart stopped and the two boys got out. They _did_ notice however, when rough hands grabbed them and pulled them onto the road.

"Who are you?" asked the boy holding Longshot, as Bee studied their faces. Neither of the teenagers looked particularly friendly, but at least they hadn't gutted her as a spy. Plus, something about these two seemed even more familiar than their tattoos.

They too looked as if they knew something wasn't right about her.

Her next words were slightly hesitant, as she called on suppressed memories. "Tengo... and... Linko?"

They blinked at her in surprise. "Do we know you?" asked the one holding Bee's arms, tightening his grip. The other boy, Tengo, grinned, and said, "Or does our fame proceed us?"

Bee winced at the increased pressure on her wrists, and continued. "I know you... or I used to..." She was very confused. Her only memories of these faces were of little kids playing in the mud, stealing pies from the baker's window.

Looking up, into the faces of their captors, she said, "My name is Anobi and I used to live in Kumai. My uncle's name was Lo Ji, and my mother's name was Tana. Don't you know me?"

The boys looked at each other, then at her. There was silent conversation for a moment before Linko released her. Tengo did the same for Longshot, who rubbed his wrists to get the blood back into them.

Shading her eyes from the sun, Bee spoke her thanks. "My friend's name is Longshot, and he won't hurt anybody. I really appreciate this, guys, and I hope you'll let us go back to Kumai with you."

She knew it was a good move. It would give Tengo and Linko a chance to keep an eye on them for suspicious actions, and it would cut their travel time in half.

Tengo frowned a little. "Maybe... but after all, we haven't seen you for nearly seven years. You could be tricking us."

She rolled her eyes. "Well, I guess you're just going to have to trust me." Their gazes locked, and he nodded.

"Grab your things and put them in the cart. You can ride with us." Her answering smile was directed at both of them, though it was Tengo who had delivered the warm greeting. It never hurt to be polite, especially to those who were helping you.

After putting her bags into the cart and taking a drink of water, Bee noticed Longshot doing the same thing near the Ostrich–Horse.

Bee crossed over to him, putting a hand on his shoulder. He looked at her, eyes filled with relief. Whether it was relief for her safety or his own she didn't know. She supposed it was a mixture.

When she saw a drop of blood roll over his lips, she winced. "Sorry about the nose, Longshot... I wasn't thinking." She dug in her pants pocket and pulled out a clean handkerchief. He took it with a nod and a weak smile.

As the Ostrich horse started off again, Tengo plucked at his red tunic. "So Anobi. You've been gone for seven years. Where have you been?"

Bee glanced at Longshot and he nodded his consent. "Just call me Bee. No one's called me Anobi in years. Seven years ago my father, On Ji, abandoned me after my mother's death. Jet, the leader of the Freedom Fighters, found me and took me back to his campsite, where I lived until a year ago." Longshot watched her intently, as did Linko. Tengo wisely decided to watch the road.

"Then we traveled to Ba Sing Se, where Jet died." She swallowed the lump in her throat. "After that, Longshot and I figured that I might as well come back. You know," she said, clearing her throat, "To see my family."

They were silent. "Well I for one am glad you came back." Tengo looked around and grinned. "It's been too quiet in the villages lately."

Bee smiled back, then settled down. She knew it would take until sundown before they reach the town, and she wanted to be awake for it.

She raised an eyebrow at Longshot and he nodded, smiling faintly. Bee shifted across the cart and he lifted his arm so that she could sleep against him.

In moments, they were both asleep.

Tengo looked back at Linko, his expression much harsher than before. "The elders won't like this," he said quietly, gesturing towards the sleeping pair. His eyes glittered with malice as a non–Tribesman embraced a young Ti Lo woman of marrying age.

"They won't like it at all."


	4. Home

Chapter Four:

The village was full of light, emanating from lanterns hung strategically through the trees. The sounds of night mingled with the laughter and chatter of the villagers.

Longshot and Smellerbee sat among it all, comfortable. A good meal had awaited them in the village, along with many greetings for Bee. Aunts, cousins and siblings alike came forward to see her. Bee was slightly alarmed to learn that she had two half–brothers, twins who were five years old.

Just before eating, Longshot had visited the village healer, a waterbending woman named Teak. Longshot's nose was healed in an instant, and Bee was praised for such a clean break. Splintering might have complicated things, but the cartilage was in whole pieces. After talking with her, she gave them directions to the communal dining hall.

And throughout the meal, the one person who Smellerbee truly dreaded seeing was absent. It was a while before she plucked up the courage to ask one of her brothers, Noni, where their father was. And he answered quietly that On Ji had been killed nearly a year ago. Apparently, he had complained a little too loudly about the soldiers occupying the village, and they had strung him up at the gates.

Although she wasn't pleased at her father's death, a small knot in Bee's heart loosened.

At the end of dinner, a hush fell over the room's occupants. A door slid open on the far wall, and the oldest man either of the Freedom Fighters had ever seen walked in. His wrinkles had wrinkles, and he was nearly bent double, leaning on a gnarled cane of oak. Despite his frail appearance, the room went silent, and there was a certain air of respect from all in his presence.

He walked, or rather shuffled towards Bee and Longshot. As he approached, they noticed his tattoos: four lines on his face, two on each arm and three on each ankle.

Bee slid into a formal bow, and Longshot followed suit. Neither of them rose, until a slightly creaky voice spoke. "Rise, Anobi and Longshot." Slowly, they sat up again. The man settled into a chair that had been provided for him. "Young Ti Lo, why do you return now, seven years after you ran away?"

For a moment Bee's mouth refused to work. Then she cleared her throat. "Master Gota, I beg your forgiveness, but you have been told a falsehood. I did not run away."

A murmur ran through the onlookers, and Gota's head shot up. "Silence," he snapped, before turning back to Bee with a kinder tone of voice. "What falsehood, child? Do you mean to say that your honorable father, may he rest in the Spirit World, lied to me, to all of us?"

Bee bit her lip and nodded. "Master Gota, at the age of eight, my father took me to a nearby village, as he had on every market day for a year."

She raised her voice now, determined to let all hear the truth.

"But that day he sold me to the soldiers, the ones near the fishmonger's stall, and I stayed with them until I was bought and rescued by a boy, Jet of the Freedom Fighters. From that day forward, I lived with Jet and his friends, defending the people of his valley and my new family."

The wizened old man rubbed his chin thoughtfully as whispered remarks echoed through the room. "What you say is hard to believe child. Although On Ji was not the best of men, it is difficult to think that he would have done such a thing. Do you have any proof of your claims?"

For a moment Bee's heart fell as the whole room looked at her. What would they do if she couldn't convince them?

Then she remembered.

She pulled her right glove off and held her hand out, palm facing the ceiling. Two circles and a line were burned into her skin.

She wet her lips as Gota ran his fingers over the ridges, but her voice still cracked.

"My price."

Longshot felt his blood go cold.

Master Gota looked at her sharply. "The soldiers, did they...?" She shook her head. "I was too young, and I wouldn't stop crying."

He nodded, still studying her hand.

After a moment, he released her hand and stood. "Daughter of the Ti Lo, your claim will be satisfied, and your acceptance voted upon. I will discuss this with the elders, and in a week's time, we will tell you the outcome of the vote."

Bee nodded and bowed again. Longshot did the same, although he was not sure what was happening. Obviously the elders were some sort of council, but who what were they a council of?

That night, the Freedom Fighters were given rooms in Teak's house and were shown the location of a hot springs. That was their first stop once they changed into bathing clothes. The hot water felt good after using cold for so long.

Although Teak had been good enough to give them two rooms, they both agreed that it didn't feel right. Silently, Longshot moved his pallet into Bee's room and locked the door against intruders.

By then the stars were out, and both of them fell into bed.

They slept long and deep, not waking until the sun was far overhead, and their bones no longer ached from weariness. And for once, when they woke, there were smiles on their faces, and light hearts in their chests.


End file.
